We are reminded on Veterans Day to honor those who served us by serving in the United States Armed Forces.
We honor those men and women who served with parades, events, monuments, and by simply saying “thank you” when we see them – – and meaning it.
There are many other, more personal ways, we can honor our own loved ones who are Veterans.
We want to discuss one way of honoring them you may not have considered, one which in many cases will provide them something that helps them live better for years to come.
Ensuring our senior loved one who are Veterans are aware of the benefits available to them through the Veterans Administration (VA) and utilizing them, if appropriate, both honors their service and helps them in their everyday lives.
Majority of Veterans Not Using VA Benefits
According to a recent report from the VA, less than half (48%) of all Veterans are using even one of the VA benefits or services available to them as of 2016. That, though, is an increase from 38% in 2007.
Only 21% of Veterans utilized multiple VA benefits and services in 2016.
When you consider there were more than 20 million Veterans in 2016, that means a lot of men and women are not taking advantage of the benefits available to them.
These statistics don’t even consider the many millions of surviving spouses and children of Veterans, who have served their nation and us in their own way. They are also entitled to certain benefits due to the service of their Veteran.
In the mini-podcast below, we discuss helping senior loved ones who are Veterans or otherwise entitled to VA benefits to understand and, if appropriate, seek the benefits available to them.
Click on the ▷ below to play the podcast (note: you can continue reading while you listen if you want)
Additional Information from the Mini-Podcast
In the mini-podcast, we discuss statistics from the 2010 National Survey of Veterans. This is the most recent survey performed by the VA and can be found here if you are interested in learning more.
Also, we made several mentions of our conversation with Victoria Collier, an Elder Law attorney who joined us for a previous podcast, Conversation with an Elder Law Attorney – Insights for Family Caregivers.
We hope you find this information helpful, as it can be particularly gratifying when we assist senior loved ones in learning about benefits they might not be aware are available to them especially our brave veterans.